Of Love and Demons
by mburns31
Summary: Sequel to my story "Together," though it's not really necessary to read that first. Willow and Xander face the fallout from their decision - and it may be worse than either of them imagined possible.
1. Part 1

Title: Of Love and Demons  
Author: Mburns31  
Rating: PG-13  
Timeline: Just after my story "Together", which took place during season 3's "Revealations".  
Distribution: Just ask  
Feedback: I'd love it  
Summary: Willow and Xander face the fallout from their decision... and it may be worse than either of them ever imagined.  
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all its characters belong to Mutant Enemy productions. Not me.  
Author's note: There is no character bashing or 'ship bashing in this fic. However, when you are breaking up established couples in favor of an unconventional one, there is bound to be some friction and bad feelings. I've tried to treat everyone with the respect I feel they deserve, but if you're a big fan of W/O or X/C, this story might not be for you.

---

For most, the sewers beneath the streets of Sunnydale were a dangerous place. They were often used by vampires to move about during the day, and a few even called them home, so almost anyone who set foot in them was taking their life in their hands.

But that was not a concern for the figure that was presently moving through them. Even vampires gave it a wide berth.

After treading quietly through the tunnels for some time, the figure finally stopped. It cocked its head slightly and stood, motionless, for several minutes before finally relaxing. The expression on its inhuman face might have been satisfaction.

It had reached its destination. The place it had come in search of was now scant dozens of yards away.

It was the Hellmouth.

But, more importantly as far as this creature was concerned, it was a high school.

A high school that the Slayer happened to attend.

With a look around, the creature settled in to wait. Soon. It had to wait a few more hours before it could move against the Slayer.

But there was plenty to do in the meantime.

---

Buffy leaned back in her chair slightly, staring at her best friend in surprise. The silence of the library settled over them as she tried to think of an appropriate response to what Willow had just told her.

"Wow," she finally said.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. She shifted slightly in her seat across the table from Buffy, a worried expression on her face.

Another long moment passed before Buffy spoke again.

"So.... You and Xander."

"Xander and me," said Willow, nodding slowly. As the silence lengthened, she looked at her questioningly. "Buffy...?"

"I'm sorry," Buffy told her. "I'm just surprised, is all. I mean, I really thought that you'd moved on.... That you were over him."

"I thought I was too, I really did," her friend insisted. "But when we kissed, it was like everything I'd ever felt for him came rushing back," she continued, her face lighting up in one of the most dazzling smiles Buffy had ever seen from her. "And when he told me he loved me.... God, I felt... I can't even describe it."

However, as brilliant as Willow's smile was, it only lasted a moment before fading away, and soon she wore the same pensive expression that she had when Buffy had first seen her this morning.

"But.... There's Oz," Buffy said, guessing what her friend was thinking.

"Not that I'm being judgmental!" she continued hurriedly after seeing Willow's face darken even further. "No. Totally non-judgmental Buffy, at your service. But.... You know this is going to hurt him," she finished gently.

Willow sighed. "I know," she murmured sadly. "I feel terrible about it. I mean, he's great. He treats me so well.... But, Buffy, we've been going out for almost a year and I just don't feel for him what I do for Xander."

She shook her head. "I don't love him... and he deserves someone who does." With that, she fell silent, folding her hands in front of her and staring at them.

Buffy looked at her with deep concern. "So.... You're sure about this?"

"I think so," Willow replied. Then she shook her head forcefully. "No. I'm sure. But..." She paused briefly before looking up to meet her friend's eyes. "Buffy, I'm scared. I don't know what to say to Oz." A slightly panicked edge crept into her voice. "I've never broken up with anyone before! What if I do lasting emotional damage? What if he hates me? What if everyone hates me?"

Seeing Willow's obvious discomfort, Buffy stood and, taking her friend's hand, drew her to her feet and pulled her into a hug.

"Willow, it's okay," she reassured her. After holding her for a moment, she stepped back slightly and looked her friend in the eye.

"Will, you and Xander are my best friends," Buffy declared. "And I will always be your friend, no matter what. So don't worry about _everyone_ hating you, because whatever happens, that won't be true." She smiled warmly and gave Willow's hand an affectionate squeeze.

Having calmed down somewhat, Willow answered her smile with one of her own. "Thanks, Buffy," she replied. "That means a lot, it really does."

"So, when are you going to tell him?" Buffy asked.

"I guess I shouldn't put it off any longer." Willow sighed, a sad look in her eyes. "I've been avoiding him all morning. But...." She shook her head again. "No. I should do it now." She picked up her backpack and headed for the library doors, Buffy following closely behind.

As they neared the doors, they swung open and Giles walked in, scowling. They stopped to greet him.

"Hey Giles," said Willow.

"What's with the grumpy Watcher look?" Buffy inquired.

Giles gave an exasperated sigh. "Apparently, there were two fights between students earlier this morning, so Principal Snyder called an emergency meeting of the faculty and spent twenty minutes lecturing us about how we all need to work harder to prevent on-campus violence."

Buffy smirked in amusement. "I'm sure the irony was completely lost on him."

"Yes, I've no doubt," Giles replied. Then he took on a thoughtful expression. "No one was seriously injured, but still... two fights in one morning, it is a bit out of the ordinary."

"You're thinking something... Hellmouthy?" Buffy wondered aloud, frowning.

"I don't know. It could just be coincidence," the Watcher mused. "But then again.... I suppose it couldn't hurt to do a little research, although there isn't much to go on."

Buffy glanced over at Willow, who had begun to fidget nervously next to her. Seeing this, she quickly turned back to Giles. "Well, have fun!" she told him cheerfully. She then took Willow's arm lightly and the two of them made for the exit.

"Let me know if I need to slay anything!" she called behind her before they exited through the double doors.

Giles stared after the two of them in mild puzzlement for a moment. Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he turned and headed for his office.

---

Willow stood against a row of lockers, trying to gather her courage. Across the hall, she could see Oz in a classroom, apparently in a conversation with a few other students.

"Okay," she said, glancing over at Buffy. "I just... go in there, and tell him the truth. That's the best thing to do, right?" She nodded in answer to her own question. "Okay. I can do this." She strode purposefully across the hall to the classroom door.

She had almost made it inside when her nerve broke, and she turned around and ran back over to Buffy.

"Oh God, I can't do this!" she moaned. Dozens of different horrible scenarios about how Oz would react raced through her mind.

Buffy gently laid a hand on her arm. "Willow... you told me you'd made up your mind about this."

Willow sighed. "I know," she replied. "I have. I know what I have to do." She turned back to face the classroom where Oz was now gathering up his books.

Buffy looked at her sympathetically. "Look, I'll be in the lounge, if you want to talk, okay?" At Willow's answering nod, she turned and headed off down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, Willow made her way across the hall. Fighting down the butterflies in her stomach, she entered the classroom. Oz had his back to her as he loaded up his backpack, and she approached him slowly.

"Hey, Oz," she called out as the last of the students filed out the door behind her.

At the sound of her voice, Oz turned around, his happiness at seeing her evident on his face. "Hey," he said in greeting. He seemed about to say something else, but after taking in her expression, his smile faded, replaced by an expression of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Oz... we need to talk," Willow replied, struggling to keep her composure.

"Okay." He kept his tone neutral, but Willow could tell that he was getting worried. "What's up?"

"It's about us," she told him quietly.

"I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear."

"Oz.... This past year, you've been great. Really, you have," Willow said sincerely. "And I... I..." She foundered, completely unsure of what to say next.

"You're breaking up with me," Oz stated flatly. It was not a question.

"I'm sorry." Willow's eyes filled with tears. "I wish things could be different..."

The change that came over Oz as she spoke broke Willow's heart. His shoulders slumped and he turned away from her slightly. His eyes looked... dead.

"I see..." Oz said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oz..." Willow began, trying desperately to think of something to say to him.

"Look, I'd better just go," he said, sounding utterly defeated. He shouldered his backpack and headed for the classroom door.

"Oz, please don't think this is your fault," Willow pleaded as she stepped after him, tears running freely down her face now.

He stopped and glanced back at her. "Just... leave me alone. Please." He walked dejectedly out of the room as Willow stared helplessly after him.

_Oh God, what have I done?_ she wondered. She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before leaving the classroom, walking quickly down the hall in the opposite direction from Oz. She didn't know where she was going - she just knew that she had to get away from here.

---

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Cordelia asked.

Xander leaned back against the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom. A few students filed by outside the door, but he paid them no attention as he thought about what he was going to say.

The truth was, he was concerned about Cordelia's feelings and didn't want to hurt her. It was something of a new concept to him after the years of animosity they had between them, but he actually cared about her... which made what he had to say to her that much harder.

"There's something I need to tell you," Xander replied. He was sure she wasn't going to take this well...

His nervousness must have shown through, because Cordelia fixed him with a wary look. "Okay..." she said slowly.

_I'd better just tell her.... It'd be worse to drag it out,_ Xander thought to himself. He took a deep breath.

"I'm in love with Willow," he declared, the words leaving his mouth in a rush.

Cordelia blinked. "What?" The single word she spoke was quiet, but carried a hard edge.

"I'm in love with Willow," he repeated softly, before hurrying on. "Look, Cordelia..."

She didn't give him a chance to finish. "You're in love with Willow? Willow Rosenberg? The girl you _swore_ to me that you didn't have any feelings for beyond friendship?"

She didn't wait for an answer. "You've known her for over ten years now and you just now figured this out?" she continued angrily. "God, Xander, you must be the biggest idiot in the whole state!"

"Okay, fair cop to that," Xander replied, unable to find it in his heart to argue that point.

She took a step toward him, leaning forward for emphasis. "Do you have any idea what I gave up to be with you?" she hissed. "How far I had to lower myself on the social ladder?"

Xander bit back his first reply. _She's not the bad guy here,_ he reminded himself. "Believe me when I say I didn't plan for this to happen," he said instead, carefully keeping his tone level.

"Well, that's comforting," Cordelia retorted sarcastically. "It's great to know that you trampling all over my feelings was just a great big accident."

"Cordelia, I'm sorry..." Xander began, but got no further.

"You're _sorry_?" she shot back, cutting him off. "Well, that just makes it all okay, doesn't it? You come in here and tell me you're in love with someone else after all I sacrificed to be with you, after all I put up with from you, and then you have the gall to tell me you're sorry?" Her voice had risen steadily throughout her tirade, and she shouted her last words at him, punctuating them with a hard slap to his face.

Her face a fiery mask of rage, she screamed, "You are sorry, Xander! You're the sorriest excuse for a human being I've ever met!"

With that, she stormed off, breezing past a small group of students that had gathered in front of the classroom door to watch what was going on. As Xander turned to look at them, they moved on down the hall, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Still slightly stunned by her outburst, Xander looked out across the empty room, raising a hand to his still-stinging cheek.

"Yep.... That went well," he said aloud.

With a sigh, he exited the room, walking slowly down the hall, wondering when it was he became such a cretin.

---

Finishing the last of her lunch, Buffy gathered up the wrappings on the table in front of her and threw them in the trash. She leaned back on the couch with a sigh, looking around the lounge briefly before rummaging through her backpack.

Cosmo won out over chemistry for reading material, but the magazine couldn't hold her interest - every few moments she glanced up from the pages, checking to see if Willow had come to find her. As the minutes wore on with no sign of her friend, she started to grow concerned.

She was just contemplating going to check on her when she saw Xander approaching.

"Hey, Buff," he greeted her, slumping down on the couch across from where she sat.

"Hey, Xander," she replied. She was about to ask him about Willow, but stopped when she saw him gingerly raise a hand to his cheek.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"Cordelia's stronger than she looks," Xander muttered in response.

"Ah," Buffy said knowingly. "Willow told me about you two.... I take it Cordy didn't take the news well?"

"Understatement of the year," Xander sighed. "I don't know, Buffy..." He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I've seen Cordelia get angry before, and I've been her target more than a few times, but I've never seen her like this."

She looked at Xander sympathetically. Cordelia was perfectly justified in being angry, but Buffy still didn't like to see her friends in pain.

_Speaking of my friends_.... Buffy leaned forward on the couch, looking down the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willow.

Noticing this, Xander asked, "What is it?"

"Willow," she replied. "She was going to talk to Oz, but that was a while ago now. I hope everything's okay... well, as okay as it can be, anyway."

Xander stared morosely at his hands, folded in front of him, and offered no response to her words. A long moment of silence passed between them. Buffy was trying to think of something to say to him when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Oz walk into the lounge.

He was staring dejectedly at the ground, not meeting anyone's eyes, seemingly oblivious to all the people around him. He plodded slowly through the area, making his way over to the stairs to the school's second floor as Buffy looked on sadly.

Xander stiffened, clearly uncomfortable at the sight. Buffy understood the feeling. Oz had never been exactly what she'd call bubbly, but she'd never seen him look so... hopeless, either.

After he had left, Xander stood up. "I'd better go find Willow," he said quietly. "She can't be feeling too good right now. I'll see you later, Buff."

"Okay. See you later," Buffy replied sympathetically as he set off down the hall.

As she watched him leave, she tried to reassure herself about what she had just seen... and heard. _Everyone will be okay eventually.... I hope._

_---_

Giles sipped at his tea while paging slowly through the book on his desk. He had been researching the incidents that had taken place that morning for the past couple of hours and was beginning to grow frustrated. There simply wasn't enough to go on. There were many different supernatural forces that could cause sudden outbursts of violence from otherwise normal people, and he had no way of telling which was at work here... or even if any of them were.

He was nearing the end of the volume when the phone on his desk rang. He answered it without taking his eyes off the text in front of him.

"Sunnydale High library," he said in greeting.

"Hello, Rupert."

"Hello, Quentin," he replied, recognizing the gravelly voice of the head of the Watcher's Council immediately. "How are things in London?"

"We'll have to save the small talk for another time, Rupert," Quentin Travers said gravely. "We have a situation. You and the Slayer may be in great danger."

---

Oz sat listlessly in his seat in history class, not hearing a single word that the teacher was saying. Sadness and misery hung over him like a cloud. He felt like he should be crying, but he couldn't even muster up the energy to do that.

He'd lost her. He'd lost Willow, and there was nothing he could do to get her back. She'd made him so happy - like no one else ever had. And now that was gone, and he didn't know how he was going to live without it.

He wasn't even sure that he could.

---

Cordelia sat, stewing, in English class. At the front of the room, the teacher prattled on about the finer points of composition, but she paid no attention to him. Instead, she was replaying her conversation with Xander in her mind, over and over again.

How dare he? How dare he treat her like her feelings didn't matter? She was Cordelia Chase, not some loser he could just toy with and then discard when he got bored with her. She wasn't about to let him get away with this.

Xander was going to pay for what he'd done, she thought, gripping the side of her desk so hard her knuckles turned white.

---

Xander walked quickly up the path to Willow's house, stopping in front of the door and ringing the bell anxiously. A few moments passed with no answer, and he rang again before glancing through the windows next to the door. He saw no sign that anyone was home.

_Where is she?_ Xander thought. He was beginning to get worried. He had searched all over school grounds for her and, when he hadn't found her there, thought that she must have gone home. But if she wasn't here....

It was still daylight, so there was no danger of vampires, but Xander was still concerned. He had seen how Oz had reacted to their conversation, and knowing Willow as he did, he knew that she had to be feeling awful about it. He didn't want her to have to go through this alone.

He was standing on the porch pondering where to go to look for her next when a thought suddenly struck him. He walked around the side of the house, making his way to the gate into the Rosenbergs' backyard. Passing through, he spied a familiar figure sitting under the large oak tree at the rear of the enclosure.

"Hey, there you are," he said in greeting. Willow looked up at him, but said nothing. Xander could see that she had been crying.

He walked over and sat down next to her, leaning back against the tree trunk. He remained silent for the moment, looking up at the sky, watching thin trails of clouds make their way through the vast expanse of blue.

"We used to sit out here a lot," he recalled, still looking upwards, thinking back now to years gone by. He and Willow would play in the yard together, then when they were finally too tired to run anymore, they'd sit here in the shade of the branches and talk about their hopes, their dreams, everything under the sun.

"I remember," Willow replied softly. She idly picked a blade of grass out of the ground and twirled it around her finger. "Things were so much simpler back then, weren't they?" she sighed.

"Yes they were," Xander agreed. He thought back to when his biggest worry was whether or not he'd like what Willow's mother made for dinner when he came to spend the night. That seemed like a completely different world now... and not just because he'd found out that vampires and demons were real.

Things that had used to be very simple were now incredibly complicated. His relationship with Willow, for one. Back then, they were best friends and that was all they ever wanted or needed each other to be.

But that had changed, and other people - people they cared about - had gotten hurt as a result. He felt bad about Oz. And Cordelia....

Just a couple of years ago, he never would have worried about hurting Cordelia Chase's feelings. Hell, he probably would have even been happy about it, given how she'd treated him and Willow.

But now....

He looked over at Willow just as she turned toward him, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Xander...." She murmured his name, her voice unsteady, and he scooted closer to her.

"We'll be all right, Will," he said soothingly, putting an arm around her and drawing her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and Xander put all his thoughts about what he'd done to Cordelia aside for the time being. His pain wasn't important; Willow needed him.

To be continued


	2. Part 2

Willow felt better after a couple of hours. That was one of the things she loved most about Xander - no matter what was wrong, he could always make her feel better. Everything from skinned knees to dead goldfish; he'd always been there to help her when she was hurt, and she loved him for it.

She wanted to return the favor; she could tell that Xander felt just as bad about hurting Cordelia as she did about hurting Oz. But she also knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't talk about it with her right now. He wouldn't even think about his own problems until he was sure that she was okay.

So that conversation would have to wait.

Putting her musings aside for the moment, Willow stretched her arms out in front of her. "We should probably go back to school," she said, turning slightly to look at Xander.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She nodded. "Buffy's probably worried about me. Besides, it's not like we can stay away from there forever."

"True," Xander agreed. "Although, don't think I haven't seriously thought about that on occasion." He looked at his watch. "School's just getting out, but she'll probably be training in the library with Giles. Let's go."

Xander stood and offered his hand to Willow, helping her up off the ground. They took a last look around before exiting the yard together.

She and Xander walked the relatively short distance to the school in silence. By the time they reached the campus, it had already mostly emptied out, and they made their way to the library past the few students who had remained after the last bell.

Passing through the library doors, she saw Buffy and Giles seated at the central table, apparently deep in conversation. They looked up as Willow and Xander entered the room, and Buffy quickly stood and hurried over to them.

"Hey," she said tenderly as she reached out and pulled Willow into a hug. Willow smiled and hugged her back, grateful for the gesture of affection.

After a moment, Buffy released her and stepped back. "If you want to talk..." she began, but was interrupted by Giles clearing his throat loudly.

"...now's not a good time," she continued gently, an apologetic look on her face. "Giles has just been telling me that something really nasty has breezed into town."

"Well, fill us in. We'll help out however we can," said Xander.

Buffy frowned slightly. "Are you sure? I mean, you guys have a lot on your minds right now..."

"It's okay, Buffy," Willow reassured her. "We'll help. It's what we do." She gave her friend a small smile.

Buffy nodded and led them toward the table, where they sat down across from Giles. He studied them for a moment before speaking. Willow noticed that he seemed fairly nervous, but chose not to say anything about it.

"Well, as I was telling Buffy," he said after a moment, "I received a call from the Watcher's Council this afternoon. They informed me that one of their sources thinks that a V'rath demon may be in the area... and I believe their source is correct. In fact, I believe that one is in or near this very school right now."

"Okay, I have no idea what that is," Xander said, "but from the look on your face, I can tell it's nothing good."

"No," Giles said gravely. "V'rath demons are very rare and extremely dangerous. They exert a form of emotional control over their victims. They cannot instill emotions in humans, but they do amplify negative ones that are already there - fear, anger, sorrow and the like. It is believed that they then feed off of the enhanced feelings that their victims produce."

"So it makes sense that it'd come here," Xander mused. "After all, if you're in search of a bunch of people with strong negative feelings, what better place to look than..."

"High school," Buffy finished. "God.... It must be like an all-you-can-eat buffet for this thing."

Giles nodded. "Yes. I believe that several students here have already been affected by its power. There have been reports of students breaking down and crying uncontrollably, cowering in corners, even attacking other students..."

Sudden realization hit Willow like a physical blow. "Oh God," she murmured. "Oz. This morning, I was talking to him, and he just got this look in his eyes.... Like he was dead inside. Giles, do you think he could be under this thing's influence?" she asked worriedly.

"Well... yes," Giles replied slowly. "If Oz was feeling a significant amount of negative emotion, such as despair, the V'rath demon might have sensed it and targeted him..." He trailed off and looked at her with some uncertainty, apparently not sure what to say next.

Guilt washed over Willow, and sadness threatened to overwhelm her again, but she fought it down. "He was," she whispered, staring at the table, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"I see," said Giles. He sounded a bit uncomfortable, but didn't seem surprised to hear the news - he had seen her and Xander together in the library last night, after all. He glanced over at Xander, who met his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I think maybe... Cordelia, too," Xander added quietly. "Only she was a lot more angry than depressed."

"Giles," Willow asked urgently, "what happens to the people affected by this thing's power?"

"Typically, the... the amplification of negative feelings results in odd behavior which passes fairly quickly. But if the initial emotions are particularly strong..." Giles paused for a moment, looking at each of them in turn before continuing, "the victims can become very dangerous - either to others, or to themselves."

"No," Willow breathed. She looked up at Xander, unable to contain her tears any longer. "I can't believe it, we were so selfish, we put them in danger..." She trailed off, momentarily unable to continue.

Giles hurried over to her and crouched down next to her chair. "Willow," he began, concern evident in his voice, "I need you to listen to me very carefully. I believe that the V'rath is still in the area. Whatever you're feeling right now, you must... do your best to control it. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but if you let your emotions get the better of you, you could become vulnerable to the demon's power."

He studied her for a moment before speaking again. "Perhaps it would be best if you went home..."

"No," Willow declared forcefully. "Oz and Cordelia are in trouble, and I... we..." she turned to Xander, who nodded once, "have to help them." She took a deep breath, pushing her guilt and worry aside for the time being. "I'll hold it together, Giles. I promise."

Giles nodded slowly before standing and walking back to the head of the table. Xander took Willow's hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and she gave him a grateful smile before turning her attention back to the Watcher.

"So, Giles, you said that you thought this demon was still nearby. Do you know where it is?" Buffy asked, her tone deadly serious.

"Well, according to my research," Giles replied, "the range of a V'rath's power is rather short - only a few hundred feet at most. Which means it is most likely somewhere on school grounds. It's probably down in the basement somewhere, or perhaps in the sewer tunnels nearby."

"Which brings me to my next question," said Buffy. "How do you kill this thing?"

"The V'rath are fairly strong, as demons go, but they possess no special immunities. Standard weapons should be sufficient. But, Buffy, you must be very careful when fighting it," Giles said earnestly. "If your control slips, even for a moment, it can use its power against you. Too much fear, and it could render you unable to move. Too much anger, and it could send you into a rage, making you fight carelessly."

He paused for a moment. "Perhaps we should get backup," he mused. "We could call Faith..."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Giles. 'Faith' and 'emotional control' don't exactly go together. I can handle this - I'll be careful."

After a moment, Giles nodded. "Very well." Willow couldn't help noticing that he still looked worried.

"Alright. Giles, you and I are going after this demon," Buffy declared, standing up and turning to face her friends. "Will, Xander, you guys find Cordelia and Oz. I don't know how long it'll take us to find this thing, so we need to keep an eye on them in the meantime. Look all over school; if they're not here, it probably means they went home and they're safe."

Buffy looked at them for a moment, her expression softening. "They'll be okay, guys," she said gently. "I'll make sure of it." With that, she turned and strode purposefully over to the weapons cabinet, Giles following behind her.

_I hope you're right, Buffy_, Willow thought as she and Xander stood and made their way out of the library.

---

Oz slumped against the wall, looking out over the empty classroom. Despair had settled on him, a great weight that smothered his very being. Even breathing felt like a tremendous effort now, and he wondered if it was even worth the trouble anymore.

What did the future hold for him now? His band was going nowhere, he'd never be free of his lycanthropy, and Willow...

Willow. He cared about her so much... she'd made him feel like no one else ever had. Every time he'd pictured his future, she was there with him.

But those images were hollow now. Empty, like him.

_What do I have to live for?_ he wondered morosely.

He took out his pocketknife and held for a long moment, looking at it as he slowly turned it over in his hand.

Why not?

---

Xander completed his check backstage in the auditorium and walked back out through the curtains. There was no one here, so he made his way over to the doors leading to the hall.

He and Willow had split up, with him taking the east side of the school. However, his search had proven fruitless so far and he was starting to get a little anxious.

_Maybe they went home_, he thought hopefully, trying to reassure himself. It didn't help much.

He started down the hall, checking each classroom in turn as he passed it by. The school was almost completely empty now - no one liked to stay here any longer than necessary - with only the occasional straggler passing Xander on their way out of the building, and for the most part the place was deathly quiet.

Xander shivered involuntarily as he checked yet another classroom. _Does it always have to be so damn creepy in here?_ he wondered. Of course, knowing that there was a very dangerous demon in the area didn't help matters any....

Quickly exiting after finding nothing, he moved into the room across the hall... and froze. His blood ran cold at the sight before him, and he fought to control the rising tide of fear he suddenly felt.

"Oz?" he softly called out, cautiously approaching the figure huddled at the back of the room. The late afternoon sun coming in through the windows glinted off the blade of the small knife he held in his hand, and Oz simply continued to stare at it, giving no sign that he had heard Xander.

"Oz!" he called, more forcefully this time. The musician finally raised his head, and the look on his face gave Xander the chills all over again.

"What do you want?" he said tiredly, as though even speaking was a huge effort.

"What are you doing?" Xander asked carefully, edging a little closer to him.

Oz looked down at the knife in his hand and blinked in confusion, almost as if he were seeing it for the first time. He stared at it for a moment, then shook his head slowly.

"Nothing," he muttered. "Leave me alone."

"I can't do that," Xander replied. He judged the distance between them. _No, still too far..._

Oz looked up again. "It's better this way," he said miserably. "I've lost her. Willow... I can't go on without her."

Xander felt a renewed sense of guilt. Even knowing that a demon was responsible for the state Oz was in didn't help much. Even without the demon's interference, Oz would still have been terribly hurt. _And it's your fault._ He and Willow had been so sure that what they were doing was the right thing.... But was it really?

Xander pushed those thoughts out of his head - he couldn't afford them right now. "I need you to listen to me very carefully," he stated forcefully, slowly moving closer to where Oz sat. "This... this isn't you. There's a demon in the area, and it's done something to you. You have to get a hold of yourself."

Oz didn't seem to hear him. "What do I have to live for now?" he said, raising the knife he held.

"Oz, no!" Xander shouted. Panic flooded through him and he charged forward. He didn't know what Oz planned to do with the knife and he didn't want to find out. Xander lunged toward him, knocking the blade from his grasp and earning a nasty cut on his hand in the process.

As the knife skittered across the classroom floor, Xander took a step back, watching Oz warily, unsure of what he would do next. But the musician simply sat there, head bowed, unmoving, and after a moment, Xander relaxed.

"Come on, Oz," Xander said. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he reached out and gently lifted him to his feet. Oz offered no resistance as Xander took him by the shoulders and steered him out of the room.

_I hope you find this thing soon, Buffy,_ Xander thought as he led Oz slowly down the hallway.

---

Willow hurried through the halls, checking classrooms as she went. The silence that had fallen over the school was almost eerie, and she suppressed a twinge of nervousness as she made her way across the campus.

_Come on, Willow,_ she told herself. _You told everyone you could handle this. Don't let them down._

Despite her unease, she continued her search. Soon she had checked all the classrooms and, finding nothing, she walked down the short hallway to the gym. Passing through the doors, she looked around briefly before crossing over to the locker rooms. The place seemed to be completely empty.

She made her way through the girls' locker room and found that it, too, was deserted. There were bits of softball equipment - bats, balls, gloves - scattered about, but no sign of any people. After glancing into the shower room and confirming that it was empty, she turned to leave.

That was when she saw her.

"Cordelia, hi," Willow blurted in surprise when her gaze fell upon the former cheerleader standing between the rows of lockers.

Cordeila quickly crossed the distance between them to stand in front of Willow. "Where's Xander?" she snapped, glaring at her angrily.

_Xander wasn't kidding... she's furious,_ Willow thought as she took in the expression on Cordelia's face. _This is all my fault.... I wish things could have turned out differently...._

"Look, Cordelia..." Willow began, unable to keep the anxiety she felt from showing in her voice, "I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but there's something I have to tell you. Something important."

Cordelia simply continued to glare at her, not saying a word, and Willow's nervousness increased. Giles had warned her that people under the V'rath's influence could be dangerous.... Willow began slowly backing away from her.

"There's a demon around here somewhere," Willow continued, trying to keep her cool as Cordelia followed her, matching her step for step. "We think you might be in danger, and we need to get you out of here.

"Xander and I feel really bad about everything," she hurried on, "and you have every right to be angry with us. But we have more important things to worry about right now, so, can you just... try and put it aside for now? Please?"

---

Cordelia looked at the girl before her with a mixture of anger and disdain.

How could she have even begun to think of Willow Rosenberg as a friend? She never should have even tried to be nice to her - after all, look how that effort had been repaid.

It was bad enough that Xander had humiliated her, but now, to be faced with the girl that had taken what was rightfully hers... it was almost more than she could bear.

When Willow started to back away from her, Cordeila followed. She was babbling some inanities now, but Cordelia didn't hear a word she was saying.

How could this... this_ loser _have gotten the better of her at anything? It incensed her, the idea that Xander had thrown Cordelia Chase, the best thing that had ever happened to him, away for this wretch, this PATHETIC, MEWLING CREATURE....

Rage boiled over within Cordelia, and she snatched up a nearby baseball bat.

---

It all happened so fast.

One second, Cordelia was simply staring at Willow as she tried to talk to her, the next, the former cheerleader had picked up a baseball bat leaning against one of the lockers and was attacking her with it.

Willow cried out in alarm as Cordelia swung at her. The bat struck her a glancing blow on the side of her head as she desperately threw herself to the side. Pain exploded in her skull and she landed heavily on the floor. She looked up just in time to see Cordelia's next attack coming and roll away from it. The sharp crack of the bat impacting on the hard floor echoed throughout the locker room.

Willow scrambled to her feet, wincing at the pain in her head and her right shoulder, which she had landed on when she hit the floor. Looking up at Cordelia, she saw that she was moving towards her once again, her face twisted into a mask of fury.

She turned and ran, desperate to get away from this enraged _thing_ that Cordelia had become. She passed through the locker room door and ran out into the gym, making for the exit as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Come back here, you bitch!" she heard Cordelia scream from behind her.

Willow desperately ran across the gym, throwing open the doors when she reached them and continuing out into the hall. She could hear Cordelia behind her, but didn't want to chance looking back to see how far away she was.

So she pressed on. When she rounded a corner in the hallway, she almost crashed into someone who was running in her direction, barely managing to come to a stop just in front of her instead.

"Buffy," Willow panted, relief at seeing her friend washing over her. The Slayer reached out and gently put her hands on Willow's shoulders to steady her.

"Willow, what is it? What's wrong?" Buffy asked urgently. "I heard a scream...."

"It's Cordelia. She..." Willow got no farther, as at that moment, Cordelia caught up with her.

Buffy quickly looked her over. Seeing the look on her face and the baseball bat in her hands, she hurriedly stepped in front of Willow, who took several steps back behind her.

"Buffy, be careful," Willow warned her friend. "She's not herself - she's dangerous."

"I'm getting that," Buffy muttered, not taking her eyes off the girl in front of her. "Cordelia, listen to me..." she began, but got no further.

Cordelia's face contorted in rage and she swung the bat hard at Buffy's head. Buffy ducked under the blow and took a step back. "Cordelia, I don't want to hurt you..." she warned, but the other girl paid her no heed.

With a snarl that was completely unlike anything Willow had ever heard from her, Cordelia charged at Buffy, wildly swinging at her. Buffy dodged to the side, letting Cordelia's momentum carry her forward, and tripped her as she went by. As she fell, Buffy struck her in the back of the head and caught her suddenly limp form before it hit the ground. The baseball bat clattered to the floor as it slipped from nerveless fingers.

"Sorry, Cordy," Buffy murmured, a shade of regret in her voice. Then she turned her head to look at Willow over her shoulder. "Come on, let's get her back to the library," she said.

Willow hurried over to help her, hoping fervently that this nightmare would be over soon.

---

The first thing Xander saw upon entering the library with Oz in tow was Cordelia, slumped down and apparently unconscious, with Buffy binding her hands to the chair in which she sat.

"Buffy, what happened?" Xander said as he led Oz to a chair at the back of the table. Oz offered no resistance as Xander sat him down and made no move to get up after he moved away.

Buffy paused in her activities and looked up at him. "Cordy went after Willow with that," she said grimly, gesturing toward a baseball bat sitting on the table.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" Xander asked anxiously.

"She's with Giles in his office. She's got a bump on the head, but I think she'll be okay. He's checking it out now," Buffy replied.

"And Cordelia?" Xander glanced at the unconscious brunette, guilt washing over him. _If I hadn't... no, don't think like that._

"She'll probably have a bad headache tomorrow, but she should be all right." Buffy gestured toward a length of rope on the table. "Come on, help me out here."

Xander took the rope and busied himself tying Cordelia's other wrist. As he did so, Buffy glanced over at Oz. "He seems pretty out of it..." she observed, trailing off as she noticed the cut on Xander's hand. "What happened to you?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I cut myself. It's no big deal," Xander shrugged. Oz didn't seem likely to try anything else, and everyone else had enough to worry about at the moment.

He could see in Buffy's eyes that she knew there was something he wasn't telling her, but she didn't press the matter. "Still, you should probably bandage it up," she said after a moment.

Xander nodded as he finished securing Cordelia's hand, and walked over to the cage. He retrieved the first aid kit they kept near the weapons cabinet and set about bandaging his hand.

"So..." he began as he exited the cage after he was finished, "do you think maybe we should try and get them out of here?" He gestured, indicating Oz and Cordelia. "Giles said the range of this thing's power is pretty short. If we took them home, they'd probably be safe."

Buffy leaned back against the edge of the table. "We might be able to get Oz home okay, but Cordy?" She shook her head. "What am I going to say to her parents? 'Sorry Ms. Chase, but a demon drove your daughter into a murderous rage and I had to knock her out with my super strength?'"

"Well, we can probably come up with something better than that..." Xander offered.

"Maybe. But for now, we'll keep that as plan B," Buffy continued. "For now, we're still on plan A - I find this thing and kill it before it can hurt anyone else."

"No progress on that front, I take it?" Xander asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No," she sighed, sounding a little frustrated. "Giles and I searched the whole basement and, nothing. We're going to check the sewer tunnels as soon as he's ready."

A moment later, Willow emerged from Giles' office, with the Watcher right behind her. Upon seeing her, Xander hurried over to her side and took her hand.

"Hey," he said tenderly. "Are you okay?"

Willow nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so," she replied, flashing him a quick smile.

"I believe she will be fine," Giles reassured them. "I've become something of an expert on head trauma over the past year or so," he continued, a wry note creeping into his voice, "and, thankfully, her injury does not appear to be serious."

"I printed out some maps of the local sewers for you guys," said Willow, gesturing to a sheaf of papers Giles held. "The only ones I could find were pretty old. They're not great, but they're better than nothing."

"Thanks, Will," Buffy said, smiling at her friend. "Okay, Giles, let's go." She turned and started for the door, but paused momentarily when she saw Oz and Cordelia.

"Maybe we should get them out of sight," she commented.

"Good idea," Xander agreed. There didn't seem to be anyone around, but if someone did happen by the library, the sight of Cordelia unconscious and tied to a chair would be pretty hard to explain. Within a few moments, they had relocated her and Oz to Giles' office, and Buffy and Giles were gathering up the bags containing their weapons.

"You guys stay here and keep an eye on them," Buffy said. "With any luck, this'll be over soon."

"Good luck guys," Willow told her friends, her concern evident in her voice.

"Be careful," Xander cautioned as Buffy and Giles exited the library. Once they had left, he sat down at the table, turning his chair so that he could see both the doors to the library and the pair seated in Giles' office. Willow took a seat next to him, and they sat in silence for several long moments.

"God... look at him," Willow finally whispered, her eyes locked on Oz. He had seemingly retreated completely inside himself, and now sat, staring, totally unaware of the world around him.

Knowing where her thoughts were headed, Xander gently took Willow's hand. "Will... this isn't your fault." He gestured toward Oz and Cordelia. "We didn't do this. A demon did this. You can't blame yourself."

"But if we hadn't hurt them, none of this would have happened," said Willow. "Xander... did we do the right thing?"

He understood how Willow felt. He'd believed it when he told her that this wasn't their fault, but Xander still couldn't help feeling guilty. Cordelia would have been hurt worse in the long run if he'd tried to stay together with her, but that knowledge was no comfort to him. He still felt terrible about everything.

But Willow.... There was no one in his life who was more important to him than she was. He loved her, and that was something he just couldn't deny.

"Will..." Xander began, giving her hand a squeeze. He wasn't really sure of what he was going to say, but he wanted to reassure her somehow.

He never got the chance to figure it out, however, because at that moment, the doors to the library flew open.

The thing that strode through them was large and, despite having a humanoid shape, appeared vaguely reptilian. It was covered in dark scales and its visage was horrifying. Its eyes glowed a sickly green color, and it fixed them on Willow and Xander as it moved forward slowly.

Xander sprang to his feet, stepping forward to put himself between the creature and Willow. _This must be the V'rath,_ he thought. Fear suddenly surged through him, but he fought it down. _Have to stay in control,_ he reminded himself.

"Will, get out of here," he whispered urgently as she stood up behind him.

"I'm not leaving you," she replied firmly, and Xander knew better than to try to argue - he could hear the determination in her voice.

The creature stopped a short distance from them, its face twisted into an expression of what Xander could only assume was mockery. When it spoke, its voice was a soft hiss that carried a strong undercurrent of menace. "So much fear."

It took a step forward as it continued. "So much fear. I feel it, in both of you. Just under the surface. You fight to control it, but you will succumb. You are weak, like all your kind."

Xander glanced over at the cage where the weapons locker was located, trying to judge the distance. Could he make it there before the creature cut him off? It seemed doubtful, but...

"Fear is strong within you," the creature continued, "and so easy to bring to the surface."

Moving faster than Xander would have thought possible for something its size, the demon leapt at them, closing the short distance between them in the blink of an eye. It shoved Xander aside and struck Willow a backhanded blow, knocking her back against the wooden railing by the stairs up to the stacks.

"Willow!" Xander called out. Fear for the girl he loved surged within him and quickly progressed beyond anything he had ever felt before. It permeated his very being, choking him, making it hard to breathe. The demon turned towards him, the smile that appeared on its face holding no mirth, but rather pure malevolence.

"So easy," it repeated, stepping toward Xander and grabbing him by the throat. It lifted him off the ground and held him at arm's length, staring at him with what looked like contempt.

Xander heard Willow scream his name from across the room, but he was only vaguely aware of it. He couldn't even move, so overwhelmed was he by the fear running through him. He knew that the demon was using its power on him, but that knowledge did him no good - he was helpless in the thing's grasp.

The demon hurled Xander across the room, and he fell heavily against the short wall separating the main area from the stacks. His gaze fell on Willow, who was huddled on the floor several feet away from him. The look of terror on her face was unlike anything he had ever seen from her, and he knew that she had to be under the V'rath's power as well.

"Your fear is delicious," the creature hissed, looking at each of them in turn. "It is almost a shame to have to kill you."

_It's feeding off us,_ Xander realized, and the thought only increased the level of terror he felt.

"But your deaths will bring me a much greater meal," the demon said as it stepped forward slowly, taking its time, clearly not in any hurry. "Slayer feelings are like Slayer blood. Powerful. Intense. Before I kill her, the Slayer's grief at finding her closest friends dead will be the feast of a lifetime."

_No,_ Xander thought desperately, _I can't let this thing kill Willow. I can't!_ He hit the floor hard with one hand and began dragging himself over towards her. _I love her... I love her so much..._

As he thought about Willow and what she meant to him, images of her from throughout his life flashed through his mind. He saw her helping him up after a fight with Larry on the playground; holding him at school after an especially rough night with his parents; standing beside him as they faced a vampire; melting against him as he kissed her for the first time.

There was no one in his life who was more important to him than she was. As he pulled himself over toward her, there was no doubt in his mind - he loved her, completely, and he would fight until his last breath for her.

And the fear-induced fog that had clouded his mind began to clear.

---

Willow huddled against the wall, pressing against it as if she thought she could disappear into it. She'd been scared before, but nothing had ever even come close to the level of terror she was feeling now. It smothered her, rendering her unable to act, unable to do anything but watch what was happening helplessly.

She had thought she could control her feelings. She had no idea how wrong she was. When this... thing... had attacked Xander, her fear for him had smashed through all her carefully crafted walls of control in an instant.

She watched as the demon threw Xander across the room, calmly announcing it was going to kill them. _No! I have to do something!_ Her mind was racing, frantic._ It's going to kill Xander... I can't let that happen..._

She couldn't let it happen. Xander meant too much to her. She thought back to all the times he'd come to her rescue when Cordelia or her friends were tormenting her; all the times he'd been there to comfort her when she needed it; all the times he'd made her laugh when she was feeling down; all the times he'd stood with her and tried to keep her safe from whatever evil thing they were facing at the time.

She loved him. There had never been a time in her life when she didn't love him.

As she started to crawl over toward him, she felt the terrible fear that was overwhelming her recede.

---

A loud, inhuman shriek filled the air as Xander and Willow stood up together. The incapacitating level of terror that Xander had felt just moments ago was all but gone; he now felt no more afraid than he usually did when faced with vampires or demons, and that was something he could handle. Glancing over at Willow, he saw that she seemed to be back to normal as well.

The V'rath, on the other hand, had collapsed to its hands and knees and was visibly trembling. It seemed to be either sick or in pain, or possibly both. Xander cautiously stepped forward, but the creature didn't react at all.

It was definitely an unexpected turn of events, but Xander didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. "Willow, run!" he called back as he rushed toward the V'rath. He heard Willow's footsteps behind him as he picked up the baseball bat from the table and swung it, connecting with the demon's head and sending it sprawling.

Unfortunately for him, that seemed to snap the creature out of whatever stupor it had fallen into, and rose back up to its knees and struck back at him. The blow didn't have the same strength behind it that the demon had possessed before, but even so, it knocked Xander back a step.

The creature rose to its feet, a little unsteadily, and Xander threw himself at it once again. He struggled with the demon for several moments, not wanting to give it a chance to get its bearings. He managed to land a few good hits with the bat while avoiding the thing's counterattacks, though he was really just buying time, hoping Willow would find Buffy and bring her back here soon.

Finally, the demon managed to block one of Xander's strikes and shoved him away. As Xander stumbled backward, he saw a small arrow fly past him and embed itself in the thing's shoulder.

The creature gave another piercing shriek, and greenish blood began to flow from the wound. Struggling to his feet, Xander turned and saw Willow standing in the door of the library's cage, hurriedly loading another arrow into the crossbow she held.

The V'rath broke and ran, making it over to the doors before Xander could even think of giving chase. As it reached them, they swung open, and the demon collided with the figure that came rushing through them.

Reacting quickly, Buffy shoved the creature away from her and then swung the axe she held with all her might, severing the V'rath's head from its shoulders. As the body fell to the floor, Buffy looked down at it hesitantly, almost disbelievingly.

"Well, that was... easier than I thought it would be," she remarked.

Exchanging a knowing glance with Willow, Xander sighed with relief and sank to the floor slowly.

To be concluded


	3. Part 3

Even though the next day dawned bright and sunny, Willow wasn't in much of a mood to appreciate it when she woke up. On top of the headache she had, she awoke stiff and sore, with a couple of nasty bruises from her multiple crashes into the floor yesterday. She briefly contemplated feigning sickness and staying in bed all day, but she knew that that would only make the soreness she felt worse, not better.

Her muscles screamed in protest as she stood, but after walking around her room for a bit, she discovered that her mobility wasn't hampered very much. She showered and dressed with little difficulty before heading downstairs.

After having breakfast, she headed off for school, taking the short walk a bit more slowly than she normally did. On her way there, her mind wandered, her thoughts drifting back to the events of yesterday. She had faced dangerous situations many times before, but even so, the thought of how close she and Xander had come to being killed still gave her the chills.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts as she approached the campus of Sunnydale High that it didn't register when she heard someone call her name.

"Willow!" In response to the second shout, she looked up and saw Buffy running toward her.

"Hi Buffy," she greeted her friend, smiling as she came to a stop in front of her.

"Hey," the blonde replied. "How's it going?"

"Okay, I guess," said Willow. "I'm still a little sore."

"Well, that's to be expected after everything that happened yesterday," her friend said. "I'm just glad you're okay... I'm glad everyone's okay."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, things definitely could've turned out a lot worse," she agreed as they turned and headed for the building. However, as they made their way towards the path up to the doors, Willow stopped suddenly.

"You go on ahead," she urged, spying Oz heading over her way. "I'll catch up."

Seeing who was approaching, Buffy nodded. "Okay. I'll be in the library," she replied before hurrying off.

Willow crossed the school's front lawn, meeting Oz under a large maple tree. "Hey," she said in greeting. Nervousness ran through her - she had no idea what to say to him. _At least there won't be any demonic influence this time..._

"Hey," Oz replied. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," said Willow. They headed across the lawn, away from the crowds streaming into the school. As they walked, Willow studied Oz out of the corner of her eye. Even though he looked a bit down, it was definitely a vast improvement over yesterday.

_He looks like Oz again,_ she thought. _That's definitely of the good..._

They made their way over to a bench in an area away from the other students and sat down. Willow searched her mind for the right thing to say to him, but found that she couldn't come up with anything.

"So, you know what happened yesterday?" she asked. That seemed to be a safe enough opening.

Oz nodded slowly. "Giles filled me and Cordelia in when he took us home," he replied. "It was... I don't even remember most of it. I just felt... lost. It was like a bad dream."

He looked up and met her eyes. "But..." he continued, a note of sadness creeping into his voice, "not everything that happened yesterday was a bad dream, was it?" There was no question as to what he was talking about.

"No," Willow replied nervously. "Oz, I'm sorry..."

"I guess... part of me was always afraid this would happen," he confessed. "I mean, I could tell, early on, that you loved him. I just thought..." He trailed off and fell silent briefly, a faraway look in his eyes.

After a moment, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He smiled, but Willow could tell that it was forced. "I mean, you have to follow your heart, right?"

Willow's heart sank at the look in his eyes. "Oz, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Please believe me," she implored him.

"I believe you," he murmured. "I know you didn't want to hurt me."

_But you did._ The unspoken next sentence hung in the air between them, and Willow fought back a renewed attack of guilt. She thought about apologizing again, but in her heart, she knew that there was nothing more she could say.

Oz gave her a half-smile. "You realize, I'm going to have to write a song about this," he told her.

"Maybe it'll be the Dingoes' breakout hit," Willow replied hopefully. Oz chuckled briefly at that, but there was no mirth behind it.

"Well, I should probably go," he said at length. "School, and all that."

"Oz.... Are you okay?" Willow asked, genuinely concerned about him.

"No," he replied matter-of-factly. He stood and looked down at her, his familiar stoic expression firmly in place.

"But I will be," he added after a moment. "I'll see you around." With that, he turned and left, slowly heading towards the doors to the school.

Willow remained seated on the bench, watching Oz's retreating form. She sat for several long moments, thinking about what had just happened.

_Well, it's done._ Even though she still felt a good deal of guilt, Willow was also relieved, in a way. There would be no more sneaking around behind Oz's back, no more lying awake at night worrying over how he'd react. It was done, and everyone could move on... herself included.

With that thought, she stood and made her way into school.

---

Xander stood against the wall of the school gym, looking out over the parking lot. He fidgeted nervously as he waited for the sight of a familiar car.

_She might not even show up today,_ he thought. _I'm not sure I would, in her shoes._

Cordelia had been through an awful lot over the past twenty-four hours, and Xander still felt bad about his role in it. No matter how many times he told himself that he'd done what he had to do, it didn't make him feel any better.

_And why should it?_ he wondered. _I hurt her. It doesn't matter why._

Xander was still lost in thought when he noticed Cordelia's car pulling into the parking lot a few minutes later. As she was getting out, he started hurrying over towards her, but then hesitated, suddenly having second thoughts. _What do I say to her?_ he frantically wondered, but finally forced himself to continue forward.

Cordelia slammed the car door shut, watched as he approached, and glowered at him.

"What do you want?" she snapped. The look on her face was nothing like what Xander had seen yesterday, but even so, her eyes still held no small amount of anger. Xander hesitated a moment before replying.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, hoping she'd believe his concern was genuine.

"Hmm. Well, let's see," she replied sarcastically. "I got dumped by my boyfriend, driven into a psychotic rage by a demon, and knocked unconscious by someone with superhuman strength." She looked him in the eye and gave him a withering glare. "Yeah, I've never been better. Thanks for asking!"

"Cordelia, look, I'm sorry..." Xander began, but she cut him off.

"Xander, don't," she said sharply. "Just don't, okay? Spare me. What do you want?" she repeated, clearly losing patience with him.

"I was... just hoping we could still be friends," he replied. _God, was that as lame as it sounded?_

Xander had expected Cordelia to come back with a biting retort, but surprisingly, she didn't. Instead, all the anger seemed to drain out of her at his words. She looked away from him, staring off over his shoulder, and several moments passed between them in silence before she finally answered him.

"No," she said sadly. "We can't."

Without another word, she moved past Xander, walking quickly toward the school. Xander made no move to follow her; he had no idea what to say or do to make this better._ Maybe there isn't anything,_ he reflected.

His thoughts were interrupted when Cordelia stopped suddenly, turning around to face him again. "Xander," she called out, and he looked up in surprise.

"Yeah?" he replied, hurrying over toward her.

She hesitated briefly, seemingly struggling over what she wanted to say. "Tell Willow... I'm sorry," she finally said. "For trying to kill her yesterday."

"She knows that wasn't you, Cordelia. We all do," Xander told her. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"Just tell her, okay?" Cordelia insisted.

Xander briefly debated trying to reassure her again, but she didn't seem likely to be swayed by his words. Finally, he nodded. "I will," he promised. He could do this for her, at least.

"Thank you," she replied, her voice surprisingly gentle. She held his gaze for a moment before turning and resuming her walk into school. As she left, he turned and headed the other way down the sidewalk, taking the long way around to the school's front entrance.

It was finally over. Xander still felt guilty over what had happened - even though Cordelia could be infuriating at times, he had never wanted to hurt her. He briefly wondered how Cordelia would deal with this... but only briefly. He suspected that she'd be back to putting him down at every opportunity very quickly.

_At least there won't be any sneaking around anymore,_ Xander thought, trying to look on the bright side. That had been the worst part of his and Willow's fluking. He had to admit that it felt good to have everything finally out in the open.

Among other things, it meant that he and Willow had a lot less to worry about.

Passing through the doors to the school, Xander made his way to the library. Willow and Buffy were already there, seated at the table, and they looked up as he entered. He smiled at them as he walked over to join them.

"Hey," he said in greeting, taking a seat next to Willow. She met his eyes and returned his smile, though a bit hesitantly. _She must have talked to Oz,_ he surmised. _I hope she's okay._

Xander was in the process of trying to figure out how to ask her about it when Giles emerged from his office, walking over to stand in front of the table.

"So," he began, interrupting Xander's train of thought, "everyone is... all right, I take it?" He looked at each of them in turn, concern evident in his eyes. Xander was grateful for that; even though the Watcher had little patience for him at times, it was nice to know that he cared about his well-being.

Willow nodded. "I talked to Oz," she said quietly, shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "He seems to have recovered."

"Cordelia seems okay, too," Xander added. He turned toward Willow. "She wanted me to tell you she's sorry. About the whole going-after-you-with-a-baseball-bat thing."

"Oh," Willow replied. She sounded more than a little surprised. "Well, we all know it wasn't her fault. Still..." she reflected, "it was nice of her to say that." Her voice was soft and full of emotion, and Xander could tell that she appreciated the gesture.

"Okay, there's something I'm curious about," Buffy said after a moment. "Yesterday, I came running when I heard that thing shriek - thank you, Slayer hearing - but what I want to know is, what happened? I mean, we saw what that thing's power did to Oz and Cordelia. How come it didn't affect you guys?" she asked, looking at Willow and Xander in turn.

"I don't know," Xander replied. He'd puzzled over that question himself. "I mean, it did - at least for a little while... One second, I'm so afraid I can't even move, and the next, I'm fine and the demon's collapsed." He shrugged. "I don't know what happened."

"Yes, I believe I have a theory about that," Giles ventured. "Willow, Xander.... Just before the fear vanished, can you remember what you were thinking about?"

"I was..." Xander hesitated, glancing at Willow out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly felt very self-conscious. "I was thinking about Willow," he finally finished. "All the reasons why I couldn't lose her."

The smile that appeared on Willow's face at his words nearly took Xander's breath away. "Same with me," she added, blushing a little. "Only, about Xander."

Giles nodded. "It's been theorized, though never conclusively proven, that while V'rath demons derive nourishment from negative emotion, positive emotions are poisonous to them. If it was feeding off your fear, it must not have been able to sever the connection in time when your feelings for each other came to the forefront of your thoughts."

"Well, that would explain a lot," Xander mused. "It makes sense, in a weird kind of way.... I guess we got lucky."

Giles gave them a small smile. "Yes, quite. Still, for you to be able to fight through the demon's emotional control the way you two did.... Well, according to the records, very few people have managed it. It's very impressive," he stated.

Xander stared at him momentarily. Coming from the Watcher, a statement like that was high praise indeed. "Well, uh... I had a good reason," he said quietly, glancing at Willow again and seeing her answering smile. "Anyway, I'm just glad it's over."

"Me too," Buffy declared, standing and gathering up her backpack. "Demons that try to kill you are bad enough. Demons that mess with your head?" She shuddered slightly. "Let's hope we don't see any more like that one anytime soon."

"Anyway," she continued after a brief pause, "I think I'll grab a bagel before class. See you guys later." Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, she turned and headed for the library doors.

"I need to be going as well," Giles spoke up after a moment. "Principal Snyder wishes to speak with me again. I can't imagine what it'll be about this time," he muttered.

As he was turning to go, he paused briefly, looking over at Willow and Xander. "I'm very glad that you two are all right," he told them kindly.

"Thanks, Giles," Willow replied sincerely, and the Watcher also exited the room, leaving them alone in the library.

"So..." Xander said, turning his full attention to Willow. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, reaching out and gently taking her hand.

"Yeah, I think so," she murmured, interlacing her fingers with his. "How about you?" she continued, a concerned expression on her face.

"I'll be fine," he told her. And it was true - he still felt guilty, and he would for some time to come, but seeing Willow was already starting to make him feel better. _Just one of the great things about her,_ he reflected.

"Willow, I..." Xander began, but then he hesitated. "I just want you to know..." Why was this so hard to say?

"I love you," he finally declared, nervousness and relief and happiness all running through him at once as he spoke.

Willow met his eyes, and Xander saw nothing but complete openness and sincerity there. "I love you too," she whispered, and leaned in towards him. The kiss they shared was soft, but prolonged.

When they finally pulled away from each other, it took Xander a few seconds to catch his breath. "So," he commented with a grin a moment later, "do you think we'll be okay?"

Xander took in Willow's expression as she thought about his question. "I think so," she said at length, a smile slowly creeping onto her face.

"Better than okay."

End


End file.
